~ A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you … John 13:34

Democracy in action

Protesting against the result of a general election is something many of us have wanted to do. In 1997 I was utterly sure that Blair was a fraud and that his internationalist instincts would cause trouble. Gordon Brown stopped him taking the UK into the Euro, but no one stopped him backing a disastrous invasion of Iraq. That did not stop the country electing him twice more; now, many of those who voted for him thrice share the doubts I had in 1997. That gives me the right to say ‘told you so’ – but it did not give me the right in 1997 to set fire to anything, break windows or otherwise express my crossness that the electorate had been duped; but then I am a conservative and a pragmatist. So now, when I see people in the USA protesting, I ask myself what they hope to achieve? They have clearly forgotten that Trump has never been a Republican and that many Republicans did not like him. They are also ignoring the many reasons Americans voted for him. I couldn’t say that Trump was to my taste, and were I am American I should not have voted for him. But I would not throw my hands up and whine, still less would I demonstrate in the streets – what sort of example does that set?

So, a vulgarian, a man who has expressed racist and sexist views is President-elect? He shares these characteristics with many voters. Perhaps we should only have a democracy that allows people who share my world-view to vote? Oh, wait, that’s not democracy! Perhaps people with views I hate shouldn’t be allowed to be President or Prime Minister? Oh, wait, that’s not democracy! Or perhaps I should work harder with those who do think like me to persuade others we are right? What, get involved in that mucky business of canvassing and persuading the hoi-polloi? Yes, that’s what democracy is about. But the media is against me? Well it wasn’t exactly with Trump was it, but that didn’t stop him? Ah, but it takes money. Well, again, that might require getting your hand dirty and asking for or raising the stuff. Can’t be bothered with all that? So much easier then just to spout off and, when someone else wins the election, to act as though you are a small child whose ball has just been taken away. That, too, is democracy, of course, and people have a perfect right to protest – peacefully.

The sad fact is that the tone in which both the Brexit campaign here and the Presidential election in the USA were conducted has left a well of toxic matter in the body politic. There are reasons why election campaigns should not be conducted like internet trolling, and one of them is that afterwards, in a democracy, everyone has to get along. When any large section of the population feels not only offended, but frightened, this is not good for democracy. For the past few years it is those of us on the conservative and religious side of things who have felt threatened by the actions of government as it seems to have been determined to enforce its ideology of political-correctness on us whether we wanted it or not. Now liberals feel something similar in the USA. Perhaps both sides will now realise that pushing your agenda with total disregard for the consciences of others is not a good idea; democracy is not a zero-sum game.

No doubt, like all Presidents, Trump will encounter reality and come to terms with it. In the meantime, those who disagree with him should take time out and ponder why they failed. Mrs Clinton is said to blame the FBI. She should take a look in the mirror if she wants to see the real reason she failed. She gave every impression, as did many of her supporters, that she was entitled to become President; that is not democracy’s way. Politicians have given every impression of considering themselves an entitled class – the electorate has given its verdict on that. More humility and a better commitment to public service might be places to start. Whining about someone else winning is not the place to start. In victory, Trump would be wise to adopt Churchill’s motto of ‘magnanimity’.

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37 thoughts on “Democracy in action”

I am not so sure that there is a ‘large outcry’ that resembles anything like what is being portrayed by the Media, the Democrats or the Elite Hollywood types. You have the whiny types who have been whipped up into a fervor by the ‘professional’ thug-types and professional instigators of dissent and anarchy: the usual suspects, like George Soros, Union Leaders along with the many Alinsky spin-off groups are the same old agitators that brought us Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton to name a few. The kids, and most of them are kids, haven’t a clue what is going on outside of whether they will get a free education, a pass on their tuition loans or a wink and a nod for their drug use and their personal sexual perversions. When you have been coddled so much that you need a safe space in order to cope with life you have a ready-made constituency for the professional agitators (of which Obama was one before ascending into the politics of this country).

As to the ‘magnanimity’ that you advise for Trump I have to temper the call for Trump to heed this noble message. Every time a conservative wins an election the left calls for this ‘healing’ and ‘working together’ which means caving in to much of their agenda: that is their idea of magnanimity. In other words, they win whether they win at the ballot box or not.

It is about time, that we finally say no to these whiners and elites and let the chips fall where they may: after all that is how they act when they win. Did the people want Obamacare or the regulations on a huge range of things which were crammed down our throats? Where was the call for magnanimity from the media then. There was none. And if it were possible, Obama would have created a carbon tax that would have been encompassed the world. It is bad enough that he put whole industries out of work . . . but then he had no intentions of being magnanimous, did he? So no; let us play by their rules for a change: to the victor goes the spoils.

Oh, and by the way, the popular vote mantra which we have been hearing non-stop as a reason for Trump to either step down or embrace the left in this country is starting to be questioned. It seems that we had an unprecedented number of illegals and deceased that voted in this election [estimated to be approx. 3 million strong] which always vote for the most progressive candidates . . . in short . . . for Hillary. If true, that means that Trump won both a plurality of states electoral votes but the popular vote quite handily.

That is true, but what he appears to be doing is to bring the #Nevertrumpers in, and that will help considerably. Rance Priebus is a pretty good indicator, he managed to stay fairly neutral in the Republican war and had a lot to do with the victory.

Good brother Trump wants to deport illegals, and firstly the criminal illegals. Im all for that. Exporting the criminals. But the ones who come here to work for a better life….. even though they are illegal,….I am under orders by the High Command not to vex the stranger in my land. For once we were strangers in a strange land.

I see a humanitarian crisis ahead if we just dump a million illegals back over the border. These banditos will terrorize the area they are deported to, and, they will congregate along the border trying to get back in, and, hopefully, if there is a manned fence or wall, they will not get in. They will pillage and plunder the peoples of the areas they are hanging around for food. Then we will need more manpower to patrol the borders. It will be like Europe……immagrants trying to cross the borders en mass and the US having to do something about it. Pandemonium for the border areas. Mexico needs to get a face full of their criminals that they encourage to come over here and pillage, not that they aren’t suffering from crime now. But the Mex govt doesn’t do one thing to stop them from crossing en mass. The Mex govt loves it. I say, let the Mex govt have to deal with their criminal citizens, while the govt is a crime syndicate itself. The poor honest citizens are the ones who will suffer.

One aspect that strikes me – on the one hand strikes me clearly and plainly, but on the other hand I haven’t seen much of it – the Clinton side should be utterly embarrassed.

They were the ones with all the money, Clinton was slick and smooth in the debates and had the entire Democrat machinery and ‘boots on the ground’ for canvassing. Trump came across as an unhinged clown in the debates and had very little ‘grass roots’ resources, and yet he won – despite the ‘pussy’ remarks..

Aren’t the Clinton camp embarrassed at having been able to lose this one? It’s a bit like Glasgow Rangers losing to Peterhead (which happened about 4 years ago when Rangers were kicked down to the bottom division for failing to pay their taxes).

Motivation to vote is the Key Jock. Democrats were clearly not motivated by Hillary. On the other hand the rest of the electorate saw this election as a “do or die” moment in history and were willing to take anyone other than an avowed progressive elitist who has always been above the law. The people can easily overlook defects in the character of a man who is flawed, like most everybody else, when they feel threatened like a wounded animal that/s been backed into a corner fighting for its life. The trapped and wounded have nothing to lose and so will be motivated to fight to the death. That is difference plain and simple: motivation.

The rest are merely ‘useful idiots’ or those who are hoping for a good chance at looting a store or destroying other peoples stuff. Some just like the ‘rebel’ monicker and love to get their 15 minutes of air time on the news.

Get rid of groups like the Democracy Alliance and arrest the anarchists on the streets and calm would soon descend on America.

Reality. Here is reality; the rulers of their cities extract all the money they can from the population. You see them in fine clothes and at exclusive parties and the best eateries and vacations constantly. They say..” I need to live in splendor…. I am the ruler of all this misery and squalor.”
Happens everywhere in the western world. The Russian politburo all have need of nothing, while their military have no socks to wear. No different from czarist Russia.
There is this smallest of cities here in so cal called Bell. 37000 people. Yet the city manager and his assistant paid themselves 1.200000 and 500,000 respectively a yr. In short, they plunderd the city. The assistant claimed she did such a wonderful job that she justified that money, she said during her trial. She also admitted not showing up for work for 6 months. They did no work. This happens in every city across the US and most of Europe. Day after day brings to light city mayors and managers who plunger the city, while the schools have nothing and elementary schools cant give lunches to poor kids. This is the norm for mexico. Their rulers take everything and live deliciously while the people starve and sleep in the dirt. “look at me!…im the ruler of all this misery and poverty. I need to have 112 bank accounts and 6 luxury homes, because I am the mayor of this cesspool”

This is reality. Millions of refugees is not reality. Its a consequence of greedy politicians.

Actually no. I started germinating them a week befor his victory. Im growing red bell peppers because if im gonna bother to grow things, im gonna grow things that are expensive to buy. Red bell are twice or more than green bell peppers. Plus they look cooler on the vine than green bell peppers. Its just to show off. The Mexican markets give them away. They are in a big pot up on the balcony. We live in the wild so if you plant them in the ground they will be eaten by a troop of assorted bugs and animals. Gophers and rabbits are running amok here. The coyotes are largely run off so the rabbit population is booming again. Just lucky we don’t have bears.

I wonder if Henry of Huntingdon doesn’t offer us the best perspective on this:

“Let us, however, think about what has become of those who lived in the first millennium around this time, around the 135th year… What does it matter whether they were individually noble or ignoble, renowned or unknown, praiseworthy or disreputable, exalted or cast down, wise or foolish? If any of them undertook some labour for the sake of praise and glory, when now no record of him survives any more than of his horse or his ass, why then did the wretch torment his spirit in vain? What benefit was it to them, who came to this?

Now I speak to you who will be living in the third millennium, around the 135th year. Consider us, who at this moment seem to be renowned, because, miserable creatures, we think highly of ourselves. Reflect, I say, on what has become of us. Tell me, I pray, what gain has it been to us to have been great or famous? We had no fame at all, except in God. For if we are famed now in Him, we shall still be famed in your time, as lords of heaven and earth, worthy of praise with our Lord God, by the thousands of thousands who are in the heavens.”

The reaction of the press, students, professors, thugs and democratic operatives simply proves the point that the base of the Democratic Party largely consists of the most pathetic, ignorant, lawless, whiners who unashamedly and consistently exhibit the very worst traits of secular society.

If you weren’t sure about why you voted for Trump in the election, the post election behavior of the Hillary ilk ought to confirm that choice. How anyone of any intelligence can still identify with this rabble and would seriously like to promote their agenda of lawlessness and valueless behavior are not worthy of the privileges that this Constitutional Republic provides. The Democratic Party has become a national, nay, international disgrace. It makes one wonder if they can actually descend any lower than they appear to be at the moment. If so, they won’t even get a bruise if they were to fall to the absolute bottom.

Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, announced that the church was setting up a fund to compensate sexual-abuse victims. The program, called the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program (IRCP),The IRCP has many phases. The first, which spans from October to January, covers only those who had previously filed claims of sexual abuse against the church. The second phase, for which an implementation date has not been announced, will cover new claims filed against clergy members.
(they have to have different phases for the tremendous numbers of victims)
The IRCP only covers people abused by diocesan priests and deacons, leaving out victims of religious order members, such as Jesuits, Franciscans, Benedictines, and others, and church employees, like choirmasters and coaches, claiming that religious order members do not fall under the archdiocese’s purview.

The reason why comes down to a technicality, according to the church.

Although clerics from religious orders, like Drake, have to secure the permission of the archbishop of New York to function as a priest at any Catholic parish, school, or institution in the diocese, canon law stipulates that the bishop isn’t liable for what clerics do outside of “sacramental duties,
(Drake was a Jesuit that molested a boy)
Neal Gumpel, a 59-year-old screenwriter, said he was elated when he heard in October that Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, announced that the church was setting up a fund to compensate sexual-abuse victims. Gumpel said that when he was 16 the Rev. Roy Drake, a Jesuit priest, sexually assaulted him.
When Gumpel met with representatives for the Society of Jesus, they apologized for what had happened, before questioning “almost everyone” in Gumpel’s life, said Gumpel and Garabedian. They eventually deemed his story credible and apologized again privately but declined to compensate him or issue a public apology.

"I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend." J.R.R. Tolkien <br>“I come not from Heaven, but from Essex.” William Morris